1936/37 ERA R14B

I took this photograph at Foulstons chicane during the Richard Seaman Memorial Trophy race at the Vintage Sports Car Club's meeting at Oulton Park in June 1993.

It's Donald Day's 1936/37 ERA R14B, originally built for pre-war voiturette racing with a supercharged 1½ litre straight-6 engine based on the one that powered the Riley 9, but later changed for a 2 litre supercharged engine. It was one of eight ERA cars that took part in this race.

1959 Lola Mk1

This car competed in the Louis Vuitton 1950s Sports Car Race at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in August 1996.

It's the 1959 Lola Mk1 of David Pratley and has a 4-cylinder inline 1,220cc Coventry Climax engine. David Pratley wrote the definitive history of the Lola Mk1 in 1998.

1996 Jaguar XJ Sport

This is one of the cars on display at the Hyde Classic Car Show in September 2021.

It's a 1996 Jaguar XJ Sport

The car has a 6-cylinder inline 3,980cc Jaguar AJ6 engine

Over 90,000 of these cars were produced between 1994 and 1997

1957 Lotus Eleven Le Mans

This was one of the competitors in the Classic Car Invitation Race at the Aston Martin Owners Club's Autumn Historic Car Races meeting at Oulton Park in September 1992.

It's the 1957 Lotus Eleven Le Mans of Richard Utley and has a 4-cylinder inline Coventry Climax engine. The Lotus Eleven was primarily designed to compete in the 1,100cc class of racing, but competed with a variety of engines ranging from 750cc to 1,500cc. The Lotus Eleven Le Mans differed from the standard Lotus Eleven in that it had a wider chassis frame in order to provide Le Mans regulation-width seats, and cockpit and footwell minimum dimensions, but the overall width of the bodywork was no different to the standard car.

Friday's Ferrari

This car took part in the Shell Ferrari Historical Challenge race at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1998.

It's Engelbert Stieger's 3 litre 1972 Ferrari 312P with a 2,991cc flat-12 engine, often referred to as the 312PB (the ‘B’ for Boxer to differentiate it from the earlier V12-engined 1969 312P). The chassis number is 0888 and it was driven in the race by Christoph Stieger.

1999 Lola T99-50

I took this photograph at the Donington Park Museum in September 2014.

It's the West Competition team's Lola T99-50 that has a Zytek-Judd 3 litre engine and was driven by Nick Heidfeld in the 1999 European Formula 3 season. The board beside the car reads as follows:

1999

West Competition

Formula 3000 Lola

This is the car in which Nick Heidfeld won the 1999 European

Formula 3000 Championship.

All teams in the European Formula 3000 Series used Elf fuel,

and ran with the same Lola T99-50 chassis and Avon tyres.

Unlike Formula 1, slick tyres were still used as opposed to

grooved.

After a move from German Formula 3, Heidfeld started with

the West Competition team in 1998 and finished the year

second behind Juan Pablo Montaya (Williams F1 driver for

2001).

In 1999 he went one better and became the champion with

wins at Imola, Barcelona, Magny-Cours and the A1-Ring.

During 1998 and 1999, Heidfeld was also test driver for

McLaren, but as both Coulthard and Häkkinen were to be

retained for the 2000 season it was agreed that he should go

to another team and gain Grand Prix experience. So for 2000

Heidfeld drove for Prost and in 2001 he moved to Sauber.

1913 Adler 5/13PS Kleinwagen Tourer

This vehicle took part in the Lancashire Automobile Club's annual Manchester to Blackpool Veteran and Vintage Car Run in June 1978 and is pictured here in Manchester before the start of the run.

It's a 1913 Adler 5/13PS Kleinwagen Tourer but I no longer have the programme of the event so I don't have any details of the then owner. I have found, however, that the car was sold by Bonhams in December 2008 when it was stated that the car was chassis 7840 and had a four cylinder sidevalve engine of 1,292cc numbered 8112K.

1936/39 Delahaye 135

This car competed in a handicap race and a scratch race at the Vintage Sports Car Club's Richard Seaman Memorial Trophies meeting at Oulton Park in August 1992.

The only information about it in the programme of the event is that it was the 1936/39 Delahaye of W.D.Fox and has a 3500cc engine. The Delahaye 135 was produced from 1935 to 1954 with a 6-cylinder inline engine, initially of 3,227cc, later increased to 3,557cc. I have been unable to find out any further information about W.D.Fox.

1924 Mercedes Targa Florio

This is a car that was displayed in the paddock at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1995.

It's a 4-cylinder inline 2 litre Mercedes, one of three cars that contested the Targa Florio race in 1924. The race took part on the mountain roads near Palermo in Sicily over 4 laps of the 108 kilometre long circuit. The cars were driven by Christian Werner, Christian Lautenschlager and Alfred Neubauer who finished in first, tenth and fifteenth places respectively in the overall standings, and in the first three places in the 1,501 to 2,000cc class. Alfred Neubauer became the Mercedes Benz team leader from 1926 until racing ended in 1939 before the outbreak of war, and was team manager again in 1954 and 1955 when Mercedes Benz returned to racing for those two years.

The cars were painted red for this race instead of the German racing colour of white, and this was apparently because spectators in the wilds of the Sicilian countryside had a habit of cheering on the red Italian cars and obstructing the path, and even throwing stones at cars of a 'foreign' colour.

1969 Leyland Atlantean PDR1A/1

This is one of the vehicles that took part in the Greater Manchester Transport Society's Trans Lancs Historic Vehicle Rally at Heaton Park, Manchester in September 1995.

It's a 1969 Leyland Atlantean PDR1A/1 and the note in the programme of the event reads as follows:

'Leyland Atlantean PDR1A/1, Roe H75F, 1969                                           PRH255G

Hull Corporation 255

Entered by            Hull 245 Group

Withdrawn from service recently from the Citilink fleet, it has been restored into the Citilink colour scheme.'

Northrop F-5F Tiger II

This aircraft was part of the static display at the Woodford Air Show in June 1995.

It's a Swiss Air Force Northrop F-5F Tiger II, J-3201

Friday's Ferrari

The Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1997 featured a Ferrari display in the paddock which included the car pictured below.

It's a 1952 Ferrari 340 Mexico which at that time was owned by Carlos Monteverde and is chassis #0226AT. The car is powered by a 4,102cc V12 engine designed by Aurelio Lampredi and the body designed by Giovanni Michelotti for Carrozzeria Vignale. Only four of these cars were produced, three Berlinattas and one Spyder, and they were built specifically to take part in the Carrera Panamericana race from the south of Mexico near the border with Guatemala to the north of the country near the border with Texas. In the end the Spyder which was entered for the American Bill Spear did not start in the race but the three Berlinettas did. The car above was driven by Alberto Ascari and Giuseppe Scotuzzi and retired after an accident in the early stages of the race. One of the other cars, driven by Luigi Villoresi and Franco Cornacchia, also failed to  finish, but the third Berlinetta, driven by Luigi Chinetti and Jean Lucas, finished the race in third place.

1969 Surtees TS5A

This car took part in the Historic Formula F1 and F500 Racing Cars Championship Race at the HSCC's Summer Race Meeting at Oulton Park in July 1992.

It's Jon Reakes' 1969 5 litre Formula 5000 Surtees TS5A, chassis #007, a car that was originally run in the US as a Team Surtees car and initially driven by David Hobbs. The photograph was taken on the entry to Lodge Corner.

Media City - Salford Quays

Here are some photographs I took recently on a couple of nights in Media City at Salford Quays.

Imperial War Museum North

The Lowry

Manchester Metrolink Tram on the Eccles to Ashton-under-Lyne route via Media City

Manchester Metrolink Tram on the Ashton-under-Lyne to Eccles route via Media City

BBC Studios

Another view of The Lowry

Another view of the BBC Studios

The BBC Studios seem to be particularly grandiose and were funded by the BBC Licence Payer - not least by the over 75s who had their right to a free licence removed by the BBC.

1937 Maserati CM

This was one of the competitors in the Cheshire Building Society Allcomers Race at the Vintage Sports Car club's Richard Seaman Memorial Trophies meeting at Oulton Park in July 1987.

It's Peter Hannen's 1937 Maserati 6CM a car that was produced from 1936 to 1940 and has a supercharged 6-cylinder inline 1,496cc engine.

1954 Alfa Romeo BAT 7

BAT stands for Berlinetta Aerodinamica Tecnica and refers to a trio of cars built in 1953,1954 and 1955 in a joint project by Alfa Romeo and the Italian coachbuilding firm Bertone, and were a brainchild of Franco Scaglione. Nearly forty years later, at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in 1994, I photographed the three cars when they were part of the auction which Coys held on the Saturday evening of the weekend-long meeting. I showed all three cars in a post on 18 February 2013.

This is another photograph I took that day of BAT 7 being wheeled out for display.

1950 Alvis TB14

This was one of the exhibits at the Northern Classic Car Show at Belle Vue, Manchester in September 1983.

It's a 1950 Alvis TB14 which was only produced in that year. An Alvis TA14 chassis was fitted with a body built by Coventry coachbuilders AP Metalcraft and the 4-cylinder inline engine was that of the TA14 with twin SU carburettors to increase the car's performance.

 

1959 Rejo Mk IV

This was one of the competitors in the HSCC Pre '60 Historic Sports Car Championship race at the Historic Sports Car Club's Spring Historic Race Meeting at Oulton Park in May 1987.

It's David Methley's 1959 Rejo Mk IV and has a 4-cylinder inline 1,098cc Coventry Climax engine. The name 'Rejo' was formed from the initials of the designers Rod Easterling and Jim Osborn who produced the MkI, MkII and MkIII one-off models before producing the MkIV which was built to comply with Appendix C regulations.

Friday's Ferrari

The Christie's International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1992 featured a special display of Ferraris in the paddock and track demonstrations of some of these cars by former Scuderia Ferrari drivers, and this is one of those cars during one of the demonstration runs.

It's Phil Hill in the 1960 Ferrari 246 Dino #007 of Neil Corner which was the last front engined car to win a Grand Prix race, Phil Hill driving it to victory in the Italian Grand Prix in the next to last race of the 1960 season. At the end of the that season the car was fitted with a 3 litre 250 TR V12 engine and sold to New Zealander Pat Hoare who campaigned the car there for two years before it was sold and drastically altered with a body resembling that of the 1964 Ferrari 250 GTO. In 1978 the car was acquired by Neil Corner who had it restored to its original specifications.

1969 Cosworth 4WD F1 Prototype

I took this photograph on a visit to the Donington Park Museum in October 1989.

It's the 1969 Cosworth four-wheel drive F1 prototype and the book 'Great Racing Cars of the Donington Collection' has this to say about it:

"By 1969 BRM and Ferrari had spent many years racing in Formula 1 as the only manufacturers responsible for their own engines and gearboxes, as well as for the basic chassis of their cars. Cooper had introduced the successful ‘kit-car’ theme to Grand Prix racing, buying their engines from Coventry-Climax and making gearboxes in conjunction with Jack Knight Engineering and off-the-shelf Citroën parts as early as 1957.

During the early 1960s the ‘kit-car’ theme developed, and when Cosworth came along with their Super-successful engines it began to mushroom. In 1968 Keith Duckworth decided that he would have a car developed to make the ultimate use of his new Grand Prix engine, and so one of the most striking of the 1969 season’s crop of four-wheel drive cars came into being.

Robin Herd left McLaren to design the new car, which was put together in Cosworth’s Northampton works and which displayed superb workmanship. The cockpit was slightly offset to allow drive-lines to pass by its right-hand side. The DFV V8 engine was turned about-face in the chassis to power a centre differential, in the normal four-wheel drive manner, and the broad monocoque tub was extended to form flared aerodynamic sponsons between the wheels on either side. An unusual inboard suspension system was adopted, but as things developed, the Cosworth car was never raced.

Four-wheel drive offered a way of increasing the car’s traction, and during the latter part of 1968 developments with aerodynamic aids produced a lighter and simpler way of achieving similar ends. After some hair-raising accidents early in 1969, regulations were devised to limit these aids, but they still proved extremely effective and the complex and difficult four-wheel drive issue was effectively side-stepped.

All the 1969 four-wheel drive cars had a basic weight disadvantage, and when Mike Costin (the ‘Cos’ of Cosworth) and Trevor Taylor tested their car, many problems were found. Despite prodigious speed and acceleration, it quickly became just another ‘might have been’."

1910 Deasy Tourer

This was one of the entrants in the Lancashire Automobile Car Club's annual Manchester to Blackpool Veteran and Vintage Car Run in June 1977 and is pictured in Manchester before the start of the Run.

It's a 1910 Deasy Tourer, but I don't have details of the owner as I no longer have the programme of the event. The only information I can find of the Deasy Motor Car Manufacturing Company is that it was formed in Coventry by Henry Deasy in 1906, but he left the company in 1908. John Siddeley joined the company in 1909 and in 1912 the name of the company was changed to the Siddley-Deasey Motor Car Company. I have found an extract from an Armstrong Siddeley book, however, that says the car is number 2039, a JDS Deasy 12hp Torpedo Tourer, and was probably owned at the time by Nigel Bradshaw of Lancashire.

1955 Maserati 250F

I took this photograph at Lodge Corner during the Historic Car Championship race at the Aston Martin Owners Club's meeting at Oulton Park in September 1986.

It’s the 1955 Maserati 250F of Anthony Mayman and has a 6-cylinder inline 2,490cc engine. It is chassis #2516, a car that was mainly campaigned for the works team in 1955 by Jean Behra. At the end of that season it was sold to Australian Reg Hunt who raced it successfully for several years and it then passed through the hands of other Australian drivers before being acquired by Cameron Millar in the 1960s. Subsequently owned by Anthony Mayman who allowed a wide range of friends to race the car, and it was driven at this meeting by Rodney Felton.

1954 Aston Martin DB3S

This car took part in the HGPCA Sports Car Race at the Christie's International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1992.

It's Simon Draper's 1954 Aston Martin DB3S, chassis DB3S/7. This car has the straight-6 Lagonda 2,992cc engine and was originally built with a coupe body as part of the works Aston Martin sports car team. Peter Collins and Prince Bira shared the driving in this car in the 1954 Le Mans 24 hour race, but it was severely damaged in an accident after 13 hours when being driven by Prince Bira, who escaped with cuts and bruises. The car was rebuilt for the start of the 1955 season with an open body and for 1956 received the new nose, as seen above, then was sold off by the works at the end of that season. A note in the programme of the event says:

'There are two DB3S Aston Martins in the field. Simon Draper's is one of the very successful works cars, winner of the 1955 Goodwood Nine Hours race and a string of lesser events, and has been raced more or less regularly ever since.'

1951 Guy Arab III

This was one of the entrants in the Greater Manchester Transport Society's Trans Lancs Historic Vehicle Rally at Heaton Park, Manchester in September 1993.

It's a 1951 Guy Arab III with a Roe C35F body, and was part of the Lancashire United Transport fleet from new until it was withdrawn from service in 1965. It's not listed in the programme of the event, but was at the 1996 Rally when a note in the programme read as follows:

Guy Arab Mk III, Roe Body, 1951                                                                     MTJ 84

Entered by      S.M.Torres, c/o Ebor Trucks, Acaster Malbis, York

Former Operator - L.U.T.  Ex. Lancashire United 440, this vehicle was repainted over the winter and appeared at The Museum of Transport's L.U.T. weekend in May this year.

1965 Landar R6

This car competed in the HSCC Atlantic Computers 2 Litre GT Championship race at the Historic Sports Car Club's Spring Race meeting at Oulton Park in May 1986.

Two brothers, Peter and Clive Radnall came up with the idea of putting a tuned Mini engine in the rear of a lightweight race car and the first of these vehicles was named the Landar R1. A series of cars followed culminating in the Landar R6 and the above car, driven by Alan Dignan at Oulton Park, is the last of ten such cars built by the brothers. According to a previous owner, Graham Nevill, it had a 1,275cc Mini engine with an Arden 8-port crossflow head. When the Radnall brothers ceased production of the cars the moulds were sold in the USA and it is thought that more of the cars were built there.

Friday's Ferrari

This is one of the cars I photographed at the Ferrari Racing Days meeting at Silverstone in September 2017.

It's a 1978 Ferrari 512BB, 929 of which were built between 1976 and 1981, and has a 4,943cc V12 engine. Below is a note that the owner had left in the side window giving details of the car.

Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner

I took this photograph in December last year of an aircraft passing over Hyde just a few minutes before landing at Manchester Airport.

It's a Saudia Airline Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner in the 'Riyadh Season 2021 Livery', registration HZ-ARB, arriving from Jeddah. The Saudia Airline currently operates five flights a week between Jeddah and Manchester.

1978 Fittipaldi F5A

This was one of the competitors in the Grand Prix Masters F1 Cars 1966-1985 race at the Silverstone Classic meeting in July 2010.

It's the1978 Fittipaldi F5A of Richard Barber, sometimes called the Copersucar after its first major sponsor, and has a 2,993cc V8 Cosworth DFV engine. Fittipaldi Automotive was formed in 1974 by Brazilian Wilson Fittipaldi and his younger brother Emerson, winner of the 1972 World Drivers' Championship. The F5A is a modification of the 1977 F5 and is the car that was driven by Emerson Fittipaldi in 1978, sharing ninth place in the World Drivers’ Championship with Gilles Villeneuve, his best result being second place in the Brazilian Grand Prix. The Fittipaldi team finished in seventh place in the World Constructors’ Championship.